Hokkaido

Hokkaido Food Culture: Mentsuyu and the Emergence of Kombu Soy Sauce Professor Hiroshi Tachi, Tokyo University of Agriculture

1. Hokkaido Development Commission and 2. Hokkaido: Essential in Japan’s Defense Soy Sauce Brewing During World War II, Hokkaido was a key strategic point The history of soy sauce brewing in Hokkaido is in the defense of the north against Russia, as shown by the relatively new. The early-Meiji administration unit for presence of the elite seventh division of the Japanese army. Hokkaido, the Hokkaido Development Commission, Much soy sauce was sent from around Japan at that time, was established in 1869, leading to rapid migration from but the government recognized the risk to supply for the other areas and prompting the brewing of soy sauce in army and the general public in Hokkaido were Russia to Hokkaido for the first time. The first Hokkaido-based block the Tsugaru Straits. This prompted an overhaul of soy sauce brewery was established in Sapporo by the Hokkaido's industrial structure: the government slashed Commission in 1877 and later sold to the private sector. the number of brewing factories by half and forced The government strategy of kickstarting the soy sauce the others to divert their resources to other activities. industry by building factories which were then sold to Nihon Shoyu Kogyo Co., Ltd. (Kikko Nihon) located in the private sector resulted in a well-developed industry Asahikawa is one example of a soy sauce factory born of 16 companies in the Sapporo soy sauce manufacturing through this process. Originally the Asahikawa home of association by 1899. Nippon Seishu Co., Ltd., it shifted to soy sauce production In many areas around Japan, local soy sauce production after taking shipment of koji mold spores and starter was started either by village headmen making soy sauce moromi from Noda Shoyu Co., Ltd. Records show the first to distribute to residents, sake brewers transferring shipment was sent on January 26, 1945. Given the volume their brewing technology to soy sauce production, or of total soy sauce imports from outside Hokkaido at the through the establishment of soy sauce brewers in the time was 7,200 kiloliters a year, the company’s annual more populated castle towns and post towns, leading to production volume of 3,600 kiloliters was highly significant diverse styles. In Hokkaido’s case, in contrast, breweries and indicates the scale of the factory. Nihon Shoyu Kogyo based their production on the dark Kanto-style koikuchi was established through a 6:4 investment by Noda Shoyu soy sauce modeled in the government-operated factories, Co., Ltd. and Nippon Seishu Co., Ltd. Later after Noda leading to a homogeneous style throughout the vast north Shoyu became Kikkoman Corporation, it bought all the island. The words of the president of one present-day soy shareholdings in Nippon Seishu, making Nihon Shoyu sauce maker in Hokkaido – “Taiho, Toyota, Kikkoman” Kogyo an associate company in the Kikkoman group. The – show Hokkaido residents’ preference for major brands, relationship between these companies is believed to have making it difficult for smaller scale local manufacturers played a major role in dark Kanto-style koikuchi soy sauce to compete. becoming the leading style of soy sauce in Hokkaido. Founded 70 years ago, Nihon Shoyu Kogyo is the oldest soy sauce brewing business in Asahikawa, and its office building has been recognized by an association concerned with the preservation of historic buildings in Asahikawa City for retaining its appearance from the time of establishment. Original compressing equipment and other such facilities also still exist at the factory site, Hokkaido Development Commission’s first Sapporo soy sauce brewery, but unfortunately, they 1877 (Held by University of Hokkaido Library) are not currently in use. While there is no profit to be gained from Hiroshi Tachi these old facilities, I ■Research areas: Zymurgy and applied microbiology sincerely hope they ■Educational background: Completed a master’s course at the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, the Graduate will be maintained for School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, their historical value. Nihon Shoyu Kogyo Co., Ltd. and holds a Ph.D. in agricultural chemistry ■Present positions: Professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, Chairman of the University Ballroom 3. Hakodate: A Base for Fishery in the Northern Sea Dance Club Federation in Japan, Vice President of the At its peak, there were 28 soy sauce manufacturers in Japanese Society of Wellness & Preventive Medicine, Executive Director of the Society of Practical Integrated Agricultural Sciences, Hakodate, but today there is only one. The city flourished Director of the Japan Soy Sauce Technology Center, Director of Central Fair in the 1950s and 1960s as a base for fishery in the Trade Control of Soy Sauce Manufacturing Industry, and many more ■Awards: Brewing Society of Japan Technical Award 1997, the Japanese northern sea, and this period also represents the busiest Society of Wellness & Preventive Medicine Dissertation Awards 2006, 2010 production years for the soy sauce makers. The system and 2012, Soy Sauce Technology Award 2009, and Japan Soy Sauce Association Distinguished Service Award 2010 of fishing in the northern sea consisted of fleets with a mother ship accompanied by multiple fishing vessels.

2 FOOD CULTURE FOOD CULTURE 3 Hokkaido, Kinki Soy Sauce

There were separate fleets for Settlers on a farm (end Meiji Period) (Held by salmon and trout fishing, crab University of Hokkaido fishing, trawl net fishing, and long- Library) line cod fishing, among others. The New Hokkaido History registration records show that at the peak with a preference for soy sauces with strong over 1,000 vessels sailed from kombu aromas (including processed soy Hakodate, including 16 fleets (461 sauce products). Hokkaido’s agricultural lands ships) for salmon and trout fishing, spread through cultivation most often by married and 36 fleets (408 ships) for trawl couples, meaning most households had two net fishing. It is said that the fleets working adults. Hearing that this contributed purchased such high volumes of to the proliferation of Menmi as a simple Northern seas fishing fleet soy sauce for their long voyages seasoning sauce that made meal preparation both faster (Source: The New Hokkaido History) that the makers could barely keep and easier, I believe this in turn created the foundation for pace with demand. While this is the subsequent quick uptake of slightly sweeter seasoning a digression from the discussion of soy sauce, apparently sauces rich in the flavor of by the people of Hokkaido. when the fleets returned to the port of Hakodate, crewmembers headed straight to Hakodate's entertainment 5. The Birth of Kombu Soy Sauce district armed with wads of money they had earned at sea, Hokkaido has long been known as a kombu kelp greeted by signs of “Welcome Northern Sea Fishermen”. producer, transporting the kelp by Kitamae- Changing times mean periods of both growth and bune cargo ships that traveled up and down the decline, and Hakodate became famous as the origin of ika Japan Sea. Even though people had discovered , a dish of squid pickled in salted squid entrails. how good food tasted when prepared with soy However, these days, a decline in the squid catch means sauce and kombu stock, there were no pre- the dish is now made from imported squid. While visiting mixed kombu stock and soy sauce seasoning the Hakodate soy sauce manufacturer I heard a joke that products on the market. Hokkaido's Habomai was funny but slightly disturbing: “According to the fishery cooperative was commissioned by a Hakodate banks, it is one of the city’s seven wonders that soy sauce maker on the main island of Honshu the soy sauce manufacturer has not gone bankrupt.” I hope to produce a processed soy sauce, dashi shoyu, it’s because it is always anticipating change and finding combining kombu stock and soy sauce, which new fields to develop to keep pace. they called “Habomai kombu soy sauce”. It was released in 1991 and sales were so good that Mother Ship Fleet Fishing: Fishing Volumes by Type a Hokkaido soy sauce maker then asked the (Source: New Hokkaido History) Units: 000’s of tons Hidaka fishery cooperative in Hokkaido to make Type 1953 ’54 ’55 ’56 ’57 ’58 ’59 ’60 ’61 ‘62 a similar product, which also sold very well. Salmon and trout 14 38 116 92 100 91 70 53 53 44 One Hokkaido manufacturer started making a kombu soy Crab 2 2 12 22 21 20 19 19 21 25 sauce under its own brand, and competition grew very Trawl net — 12 9 24 24 46 157 456 622 540 tight when national soy sauce makers like Kikkoman Long-line cod — — 15 — — — — — — — started making similar products too. Companies now seek ways to differentiate their kombu soy sauce products, 4. Mentsuyu (noodle soup base) Culture including one particularly popular brand that contains In 1964, Kikkoman launched a concentrated sauce product kombu root pieces, adding pleasant viscosity to the sauce. called “Menmi”, which contained soy sauce, (sweet A liking for kombu stock-based soy sauce appears to Japanese cooking wine), and five types of dashi stock have created a favorable environment in Hokkaido for the extracted from bonito flakes, dried sardines, kombu kelp, uptake of soy sauce products based on other kinds of stock mackerel flakes, and scallops. The rich flavor made as well. The production of the first-ever kombu soy sauce it popular not only as a noodle soup base, but also as a basic in Hokkaido several decades ago seems to have served seasoning for all kinds of , such as rice- as the forerunner to the current nationwide popularity of based bowl dishes, simmered dishes, hot pots and – combined stock and soy sauce products. a stew of vegetables and fish cakes. Today, in Hokkaido, Menmi is used as a substitute for soy sauce in all kinds 6. Hokkaido’s Soy Sauce Factories of simmered dishes and as a dressing for cold , and Kikkoman Corporation’s Hokkaido Subsidiary has because it is five times concentrated, it can easily be used its headquarters in Chitose City. I was told the large- as a base for dipping sauces too. Until recently, the best- scale factory was constructed in 1987 with capacity to selling Menmi product was the 1.8 liter container, showing produce up to 20,000 kiloliters annually, with the aim of its all-purpose nature as a popular seasoning in Hokkaido. supplying soy sauce to Hokkaido and the Tohoku region In contrast with other regions of Japan, consumption of using wheat produced in Hokkaido. Since temperatures soy sauce-based products in Hokkaido, including Menmi, drop quite low in winter in Hokkaido, the factory brews is high. In research into the “Regional Characteristics in indoor fermentation tanks, unlike the company’s of Soy Sauce Identified by Analytical and Sensory factories in Noda, Chiba Prefecture and Takasago, Hyogo Properties” by Hiroe Otomo et al., FOOD CULTURE No. Prefecture, where outdoor fermentation tanks are used. 26 published in 2016, Hokkaido was classified as a region A special second-floor walkway constructed at the time consuming primarily soy sauces with subdued saltiness, of the factory’s opening allows for a complete view of the

4 FOOD CULTURE FOOD CULTURE 5 manufacturing process. and their production of Along with Kikkoman, the other major soy sauce honjozo regular fermented manufacturer in Hokkaido today is Sapporo-based soy sauce, and not the Hokkaido Shoyu Company, established in 1974 as the joint kongo shoyu mixture Hokkaido Kikkoman Corporation venture of ten soy sauce companies (currently owned by method products that add four companies). The remaining factories are small-scale, amino acid liquids to raw soy sauce. As mentioned earlier, few in number, and primarily produce soy sauce products the use of soy sauce in Hokkaido differs from that of based on kiage raw soy sauce purchased from other Honshu, the mainland of Japan, because there is a culture manufacturers. Thus, soy sauce production in Hokkaido of using mentsuyu noodle soup bases and kombu soy is centered on the two main companies mentioned above sauce products instead of straight soy sauce.

The Birth of Usukuchi Soy Sauce and Kinki Soy Sauce Professor Hiroshi Tachi, Tokyo University of Agriculture

1. The Birth and Development of Tatsuno Soy Sauce tanks and other equipment that Tatsuno, located in southwestern Hyogo Prefecture, is were easily transferred, greatly famous as the origin of usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce. contributing to the town’s success The former castle town of Tatsuno Domain with 53,000 in soy sauce production. koku* in Harima, one of the oldest provinces in Japan, is The water of the Ibo River

called "Little Kyoto of Harima". It is also known as the running through Tatsuno is soft Ibo River birthplace of Miki Rofuu, who wrote Japan’s best loved water with low iron content, children’s song Akatombo, Red Dragonflies. I thoroughly containing only 18.3~23.2 ppm of calcium carbonate recommend you visit Tatsuno, the birthplace of usukuchi and 0.95 ppm of potassium. It is believed that the lack soy sauce, but please note the nearest station is not Tatsuno of nutrition in the water meant that unwanted bacteria on the Sanyo Main Line, but rather Hon-Tatsuno on the JR multiplied before the sake yeast could proliferate. This Kishin Line. Head first to Himeji Station and then change meant sake spoiled repeatedly, frustrating sake brewers who were keen to try soy sauce brewing instead. I also think that a wealth of assets made it easy for sake brewers to switch to soy sauce brewing. The soy sauce produced in Tatsuno is said to have been transported down the Ibo River by riverboat to Aboshi, where it was transferred to a vessel bound for Osaka on the inland sea, before being transferred to another riverboat to complete its journey to Kyoto. Around 1700, Townscape: white walls and a chimney, (Photo competition for soy sauce sales in Kyoto was fierce, with Cherry tree‐lined path provided by Tatsuno City) approximately 150 local soy sauce brewers. Soy sauce from Bizen, a neighbor of Tatsuno, had already entered for the local train, travelling about 20 minutes before the tight Kyoto market, in which retailers preferred to arriving at Hon-Tatsuno. I once visited Tatsuno during the stock local varieties, so when Tatsuno brewers decided cherry blossom season in April, and I will never forget the to do the same, they established their own wholesalers in wonderful sight of the cherry blossoms at Tatsuno Park. Kyoto. They gradually increased their sales volumes, and The conditions for successful soy sauce production have the outstanding quality of Tatsuno soy sauce earned it historically been easy procurement of raw materials – such strong recognition in the Kyoto market that it drove soybeans, wheat and salt – a rich water supply, and easy Bizen soy sauce out within 20 to 30 years. The backing access to water routes for shipping large volumes of the of Tatsuno Domain hailing Tatsuno soy sauce as a local finished product, as the sea was the principal trade route specialty further strengthened the brewers’ position in the during the . Tatsuno was blessed in every Kyoto and Osaka markets. sense: quality soybeans were easily obtained from the * koku is a Japanese unit of volume that shows the productivity of the neighboring town of Sayo; wheat was harvested in the local land. Historically, the annual rice tax on farmers was regulated by Western Harima district; high-quality salt from the Seto koku, as was the reward from feudal lords to their retainers, meaning koku determined how many retainers the lord could employ. Koku Inland Sea was brought in from Ako, Hyogo Prefecture; is still used as a unit of volume among brewers of sake and shoyu. 1 and the Ibo River flowing through the middle of Tatsuno koku is approximately 180L or 150kg of rice. town connects straight to the sea. The quality of the local water meant Tatsuno also flourished as a sake-producing 2. Tatsuno Usukuchi Soy Sauce region, with 79 sake breweries in the peak period. There The breakthrough for Tatsuno first came in 1666 with was a wealth of brewing technology and facilities such as the development of innovative production methods by

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